Maxi Skirt – a tutorial – I love this SO much!

Y’all know from my previous post that I’m constantly scouring magazines for of-the-moment pieces to copy…er, um…sew myself. Well, my latest project centered around three trends on the runway this spring and summer:

Floral + Pastels + Maxi skirt

Like this Alice + Olivia skirt from Neiman Marcus .. which sells for $698! Oh that’s reasonable for my grocery shopping excursions!

With this in mind yet wanting something waaaaay cheaper…aka. more casual … I came up with this……………………

My version: $27 … and took about 20 minutes to sew!

And in case you’re wondering, here’s how YOU can make one too:

Grab some lightweight fabric and 2″ elastic. The fabric should be the length from waist to hem + about 5″ x 2. (you’ll be cutting two identical rectangles – one for the front and one for the back.) The elastic should be long enough to go around your waist comfortably.

It’s ideal to have someone else measure you..but let’s face it – 8 year old boys aren’t exactly the most reliable source. So, here’s how I estimate the length. PS: it’s a little known fact that messy rooms make for more accurate measuring.

Fold your fabric over, lining up the folds. Measure where you’ll cut.

You’ll have something like this. Two identical rectangles. (The sparkly Tom’s are not necessarily going to occur…)

With right sides together, sew up both sides – my photo shows how a serger seam will look. Remember, if you use a sewing machine, your sides will look a little different.

Now you’re going to make the elastic casing at the waistline. (It doesn’t matter which end you use – they’re both the same…whew!) You don’t want the excess seam allowance creating bulk around your midsection, so I suggest making the casing just wide enough to cover the elastic and hold the seam…not too much longer.

I serged the raw edge of the casing; however, if you use a sewing machine, remember to have enough width to tuck under about 1/4″ …like this. 

Press the casing. Sew all the way around EXCEPT – leave a hole to thread your elastic through. Thread your elastic… and before you close up that hole – make sure the waistband fits! I was worried that I’d get the elastic too tight and then it would push out my muffin top, so I cut my elastic huge, then kept cutting away until I liked the fit. (yes, it’s inside out right now!)

My length was just right, so I simply used a rolled hem from my serger for the hem. If you’re using a sewing machine, just hem as needed.

And you’re done! Bam! Look at you!

I really really love this skirt! It’s super fun to wear, very comfortable, very forgiving of the figure, and even sexy if you ask me!  I’m wearing it to an Arcade Fire concert tonight…I’ll share photos of this little ditty in action tomorrow!

A NOTE ABOUT THE FABRIC YOU CHOOSE: in order for this skirt to “work” be sure to select fabric that is: flowey, lightweight, etc. and also that is pretty wide. The reason it works so quickly is because I chose 57″ fabric which gave me 104″ of skirt…give or take. Something narrower will change the dimensions. Make sense?

Alrighty, here’s the breakdown:

TIME: Literally 20 minutes, maybe shorter!

COST: I bought 3 yards of $13.00/yd fabric that was 30% off, so a total of $27! That’s a little bit better than $700…but maybe I’m a weirdo!

I hope you’ll make one of these…. I’m confident you’ll thank me!

New Dresses for Sale! …. New tutorial coming soon!

What’s up sewers and fabric hoarders!

I thought I’d pass along two dresses… both can be made to order… as usual, the first one is made in a size 6/8 so those are ready to ship!

Team Spirit dress in Lark by Amy Butler. Oh how I love this fabric… obviously, right!

Made to Order: Size 2-28

Ready to ship: Size Small (4/6…maybe even 8 if you’re small busted)

$68…. (Etsy price: $78)

 

Pantone’s color of the year is pale purple. But let’s be honest…I hate that color! This is my favorite print so far with any sort of purple in it. Just sayin’.

Made to Order: any size!

Ready to Ship: size small (6/8)

$40 … (Etsy price: $55)

Just in case you’ve got a little Easter shopping to do!

Stay tuned…I’ve got a new tutorial coming ASAP!

love and fabric to all,

robie

You can SO Sew This – cropped wide-leg pants and boxy eyelet top

Whelp, I really am hard at work with my very own personal SewWhatYouGot challenge. In fact, tonight, I’m going to cut out the fabric for this fabulous little number:

Don’t you just LOVE this!!! I squealed when I saw this on top of the pile. Jonathan and I are headed to a fancy concert next Thursday… SCORE!

But before then, I just couldn’t get my mind off a couple of garments I’ve been seeing all over the magazines for Spring. I pull out all sorts of magazine pages when I see something I like…and I decided that it really might be more fun to SEW them than to just STARE at them. Weird. I know!

Here’s what I’ve had my eye on from InStyle Magazine, People Style Watch and others…

Wide Leg Cropped Pants. Did you see that one of these pairs is about $3000!

BoxyEyelet Tops! These are SO perfect for Texas summers .. and do you see that one listed for $228!?!

SEW…in addition to my pattern sewing challenge, I want to also do a little regular “column” so to speak about how to make runway styles for WAAAAAY cheaper and using simple patterns. That’s the way I roll, right??!!!

Here’s what I came up with for my own version of this outfit:

I love the long boxy top and the simple go-with-anything cropped pants. Can we make this for cheap but still look expensive??? Insert Jeopardy theme music…

I personally think so!

Please keep in mind that I’m a horrible photographer… objects seen are WAY cuter than they appear!!! (Or at least my very biased opinion thinks so!)

For the Boxy Eyelet top, I used Butterick 5463 view D. Because it’s eyelet, I was okay having sleeves. As you can see, I simply shortened the length of the front panel. I chose not to go as drastic as the runway length because I decided I like being stared at in  good ways not weirdo ways.

 

and now for the pants…

For the wide leg cropped pants, I chose an old Stitch and Save pattern #3077. If those aren’t around anymore (this is one of the first patterns I sewed back in 2002!)… just choose a loose fitting pajama pattern – making sure to make the length hit about 1 or 2 inches above your knee.

I just really LOVE this look. I wish I was a better model because I’m convinced you’ll like it too!

Sooooo… trust me, you can So Sew this!!!

Breakdown:

Time: The shirt took me about 25 minutes (yep!) and the pants took exactly 38 minutes! (I don’t lie y’all!)

Cost: The shirt cost about $16 because eyelet fabric is expensive…even with a coupon! The pants cost about the same. So total for my outfit:

a whopping $32!!!

So y’all …. SEW THIS!!!

Sew Far Sew Good folks!

Y’all, I sort of feel like I’ve been winning at poker…I’ve successfully completed TWO dresses in four days. Insert a squeal the height of my 7 year old!

Thanks to my “Sew What You Got” Challenge, I’m somehow ridiculously motivated to sew through every one of my gajillion patterns. And so far, I’m loving the results!

Tomorrow, I’ll tell you about another fun idea I’m working on, but for tonight, here’s proof that I’m sewin’ what I’m sayin’.

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The bodice started like this. While I LOVE this Amy Butler print, it was just missing a little something…

So I went to my grandmother’s stash of vintage lace!

…and decided the bodice would look much better a little something like this!

Finished garment looks a little something like this… LOVE!

I really really love how it turned out. I sold this one but I’ve got more fabric… feeling like I need one too!

I really enjoyed making this pattern.

It was simple, fast and nothing was unexpected. I especially loved their pocket insertion directions… WAY easier and faster than most. I will definitely make this pattern again. Probably tomorrow!

Time: about 2.5 hours

Cost: about $9

HOLLAH!

I’m Sewin’ What I Got! – Dress #1 Done!

Hey y’all!

I wanted to check in to let you know that so far…I’m winning… mostly.

If you read this post, you’re aware that I’ve given myself a little challenge to use the patterns currently in my stash. (or should I say STASHES!) Also, I’m trying my darndest to use fabric I already own as well. Hence the title “Sew What You Got Challenge.”

For tonight, I thought I’d let you know that I’m having a blast. In the last 4 days, I’ve sewn TWO dresses. YIKES!!! I’m so happy!

Here’s some details for the first.

 

I started with the stash above. And I grabbed this pattern below because it was on top.

Here’s what I ended up with! I love it! 

To keep it from being a little too crazy – I added the fun HUGE rick rack to the side seam. I’m thinking it was a good call. 

If you’re interested in a pattern review, just keep on a-readin’.

McCalls 6695:

I love having this dress but I will most likely never make this dress again. It is marked “easy” on the pattern front, but in my opinion that’s misleading. For someone like me whose been sewing a loooong time, it wasn’t what I’d call hard… but it was very time consuming. I do think a novice sewer would be frustrated with a few of the steps. I think they could’ve tweaked the design in a couple of places to make it much simpler and actually have better results.

But – do keep in mind – I LOVE HAVING THIS DRESS!  SORRY, NOT FOR SALE!

Tomorrow… Challenge Dress #2…FOR SALE! Here’s a sneak peak:

Operation: Sew What You Got! …from hoarding to sewing…I hope!

Hi!!!!!! 

We just returned from our spring break trip to the Ozark Mountains. It was awesome. Mostly….

What wasn’t awesome was returning to a home filled with the sights and smells of a dwelling used for band after-parties! Yep. That was us. Each year we rent our house out for spring break because it’s also known as SXSW around here in Austin, Tx. People come from all over the world to hear music on literally every street corner. We make a lot of money renting our home, and the crews get a nice place to relax while enjoying our fair city.

Every time has been awesome… this time… not so much! The smell of cigarette smoke is every where, and I found a cigarette butt underneath my daughter’s bed. UGH!!! AND, as it turns out, Airbnb.com no longer collects the security deposits they claim to collect. Yep. So, here we are forced to figure out how to rid our carpets, curtains, sofas and so forth of the cigarette residue on our own…

If you’re feeling stressed, so AM I! So stressed in fact… that the only logical thing to do in this situation is… think, Think, THINK…

SEW!!!

In all of my frustration yesterday, I had the BEST Realization… I’M A PATTERN HOARDER! And I should do something about all those patterns I own!

Somewhere along the way, I let my FABRIC hoarding overflow into PATTERN hoarding, too! Probably around the time my second child was born. I think I decided that if I own the pattern then that’s practically owning the dress…makes sense, right!

Anyway..I’m challenging myself to do something about/with all these patterns. It may sound crazy, but I think I’ll try SEWING with them!

Looking around my sewing room, in the drawers and little nooks and crannies, I chose a stack of patterns.

 

They were camouflaged as a lamp, I’m sure you would have never noticed them! 

I chose this stack of patterns and came up with this challenge for myself:

SEW WHAT YOU GOT, ROBIE!

Here are the rules:

1. Choose a stack of patterns but DO NOT sort through or look at them prior to choosing them.

2. Start with the pattern on top and sew through the stack on pattern at a time.

3. If at all possible, use the fabric you already have. (Goodness knows I’ve got plenty…or do I?)

4. It’s acceptable to buy notions.

5. It’s acceptable to purchase fabric or other supplies when necessary to make the garment what you like..but do NOT go crazy…her hee.

6. If you come across the same pattern more than once, I do not have to resew it…unless I choose to!

Wanna join me???

Here’s my first project:

Stack #1. EEEEK!! I see some little baby feet in there…. I wonder what’s ahead for me!!!

This pattern was on top of the stack and I am SOOOOOOO happy!

Here’s the fabric I chose- by Amy Butler…I love it! I’m taking a bit of a risk because the pattern is created for lace which has a significantly different drape… but this girlie girl is okay with fluffy dresses, so fingers crossed!

Okay y’all… I’d love for some of you to join me!

I’ll be posting other things as well, but be on the lookout for the finished products/pattern reviews/etc that coincide with this personal challenge…

Here’s to making room in my storage drawers for MORE PATTERNS!!!…….AND FABRIC!!!!

 

Spring Flinging … aka. SALE!

Well, I’m a little embarrassed about this… but I’ve had my shop open for about a week or so now….and I’ve NOT had a sale yet.

GASP!

Let’s totally change that reality, shall we???

As I type this, I’m sitting in a cabin in Arkansas where it’s about 55 degrees. I can see on my weather app that it’s just about the same temperature in Austin.  WHAT. IS. GOING. ON. HERE????? This craziness must stop. I cannot go much longer without breaking a sweat, y’all. Agreed????

Here’s to hoping we can usher Spring in… with what else other than….

SEERSUCKER!   {Hollah!}

This is one of my favorite strapless dresses of all time. It’s made to order… any size, length can be up to 33″ from underarm to hemline.

Regular Price: $68*

SALE PRICE: $45*

(That little asterisk just means that shipping is not included in price)

Here’s a full length…albeit really bad photo…how did I ever not know this photo was like this? I digress….

And here is one of my all-time favorite photos and ways to wear this dress! Give a round of applause to Indiana Adams of AdoredAustin.com for modeling this so beautifully and pregnantly! (She’s since gone on to be pregnant TWO more times… must be the dress!)

Okay now… If you too feel like Spring should do it’s thing… feel free to order one of these little ditties.

Here’s the fine print:

Sale Price: $45

Shipping: $5.65 for Priority, or FREE if you’re local.

Sale lasts: Thursday 3/13/14 – midnight Sunday 3/16/14

How to order: convo me here at my Etsy shop and I’ll set up a special listing just for you! This is a private – blog/FB sale! But please do feel free to spread the word to your pals, bridesmaids, daughters…you get the point!

love to all!

come on spring…. please…

A little info about a lovely sign…If I may say so myself!

Yesterday, I posted a tutorial on how to make Pom Pom Garland in 15 minutes for $3… Well… it seems I should’ve written about my little sign instead! 

In my post, I was showing where I placed my fun little stand of garland – but y’all were actually more interested in the words of the sign. Now that I think of it – I can’t blame y’all!

So below is a photo of the full script.. afterwards I’ll explain how I did it!

I

When my grandmother had to move out of her home into a retirement community, she gave me lots of things. My most cherished, though, is this – her cutting board. When I got it, it was just a large, heavy, wooden rectangle. It’s solid wood and oh so heavy! I digress… I thought and thought about what to do with it, knowing full well that I’d never have a space quite large enough to use it as she did.

I initially planned on ordering a vinyl decal of one of my favorite poems or sayings. So I got on Etsy and searched for “custom vinyl decals.” Somehow I came upon Dali Decals. It’s not there now, but back in 2009 they were showing this script as an example of their custom work. The photo showed it on a wall with a very western font. I asked if I could have that wording but in a different font and special-sized… YES! They even sent me a link with 3,000 fonts!!!  Whatevs. I quickly asked them to narrow it down – I wanted something fun and fancy not too serious or overused. They sent me 10 options, I picked this one. Sorry – I have no idea which one it was… but I love it!  They were super easy to work with…I think it cost me $60 for this large one. ***I am not receiving any kickbacks for naming Dali Decals – it’s the truth of the story behind my sign. Word up.

So, I spray painted the back of the board about 1,000 times. Turns out, you really should use primer on solid wood. Once I finally got the goldish ivory latte color I wanted, I applied the decal. Easy Peasy. 

These decals are super fun. I’m kind of over them on actual walls, but I think they make great pieces of art!

We’ve moved twice since I made this, so it’s peeling and scratching from not-so-careful husbands.. I’m sorry, I mean movers…

… but I love it just the way it is! I miss my Memaw soooo much and sew much … But she showed me how to live just the way this sign instructs!

As perfect and wonderful as this sign is… I think today’s sign should add:

In this home – we’re doing timeouts for everyone!

$3 PomPom Garland – best time waster ever!

Hi friends!!!!

Yep…I’m still here, are you???

It’s been quite a while since I put my shop on vacation and all but forsook my little blog here. I’m bowing my head and slumping my shoulders in shame. Will you forgive me??? Okay, I get that. How about a quick little tutorial to warm our friendship up again… and better yet… it has POM POMS!!!!  Just typing the word “pom pom” gives me glorious goose bumps!

Here’s what I’m talking about – glorious garland made from what else but dollar store pom poms!

Here’s the tutorial…free and fast…perfect for our friendship!

Start with something good on TV – my choice was the ladies figure skating short program. Go Team USA!

In your lap, gather lots of loose pom poms, scissors, thread/embroidery floss, and a sharp needle. (a long one is best)

 

Pull out a long line of your string – preferably as long as you’d like your garland to be; however, you can always tie two ends together to make it longer. Thread your needle and pass it through the center of the pom pom. Bam. You’re almost done. I do NOT kid.

Just keep pushing them down the line and watch them form one long jolly line of garland. It’s majestic and delightful. I felt like an Olympian myself!

When you’ve finished, wrap it around something you love…and experience a greater love you never thought possible.

I mean, seriously!!! I want a million of these all over my house!

Last look at what could very well change your life…and your view of television!

As always, here’s the breakdown:

Time: My garland is about 3 or 4 yards long, and it took me 3 short programs. I mean, it took me about 15 minutes, including being distracted.

Cost: 3 bags of 80 pom poms – $1 each. I already had the thread and needles…so a whopping $3. Insert smiley face doing cartwheels.

Tomorrow, I hope to have a big surprise… which could include another curtain tutorial… Oh the suspense… see you soon!!!

 

 

 

 

Fast & Easy Zippered Pillows… and I’m not jokin’! (yes, a free tutorial!)

It’s been almost a year since we moved into our new home…but it feels like I’m just now getting started making it my “real” home.  For instance, the week we moved in I had my sewing room/game room painted a beautiful color turquoise.  The only problem is… it’s a horrible color turquoise!  No matter how many times I say, as I go up the stairs to the sewing room , “I love the color!  I love the color!  I do love the color!”… I do NOT love the color.  In fact, I don’t even just sort of kind of a little bit like it.  I loathe it to be exact.

I paid a painter to paint it.  Catch my drift…???  It’s just not worth it to me right now to PAY again to have it “fixed”… so I keep trying to come up with more ways to fill the room with fabrics and items that will absorb some of the Taco Cabana blue that’s splattered everywhere.

The latest attempt ….. PILLOWS!  And not just pillows… ZIPPERED PILLOWS!

You are going to LOVE how fast and easy these are!  The crazy thing is that this zipper technique makes making the pillows with a zipper FASTER than making them without… don’t you just love me for saying that!!!!

This is the canvas I started with… I decided to make pillows for this couch…

What a difference 3 15-minute pillows make… right!?!? Can I get an AMEN??

 

Here’s how I made these fun little ditties…

(I’m basically doing the same thing I do for my LINED ZIPPER POUCHES… only I’m not lining these.  If you’re using stuffing instead of a pillow form, then you’ll want to line your pillows….so just do exactly what I did for the pouches.  Only- call it a pillow instead of a pouch!)

I started with my fabrics, some caning cord for embellishment, and zippers. (you’ll also need a pillow insert or stuffing … but seriously, you already knew that!) I used two different fabrics cut to the same size, and be sure to purchase zippers that are quite a bit longer than your pillow – trust me on this!

I first embellished the pillow the way I wanted. I chose chair caning jute and just sewed it straight up the middle. Then, here’s where the pillow part starts, place one side of the pillow in front of you – ride side up. Place your zipper – upside down – along the upper edge.

Your zipper pull should be facing down like this.

Now sew the zipper to the pillow along the top edge like shown…. you’ll have to look closely because I chose to use white thread! sorry!!!

When you fold your zipper to the front, it should look like this. Of course – you now need to iron it… sorry!

Now put your other pillow piece on top, wrong side up, and line it up with the zipper. Then sew to the zipper.

You’ll end up with this!

After you press the zipper again, open up the zipper about half way… trust me – you don’t want to forget this step!

Now fold the two sections over, right sides together and fold the open zipper parts like this. Next, you’ll sew down along the side, the bottom and back up the other side – forming a stitched square (the zipper making the 4th side).

Again, my thread is too light to see clearly, but if you bring your face to the screen and squint – you can see the stitching all the way around … maybe… sort of…

Oh girl – you’re almost done! clip your corners and trim off the excess zipper ends. Turn right side out.

You’ll get THIS!!! A zippered pillow! I have made them with “hidden” zippers that take a long time, and I have made them like this in a jiffy. Personally, I think saving an hour beats not seeing the zipper! Maybe that’s just me…

 

Now for more photos…. the pillows’ selfies…..

What a difference a pillow makes, huh!?!

The breakdown:

Cost: I used fabric I already had and pillow forms I already had, so my only cost was zippers.  At about $2.50 each, the cost is $7.50!!!  LOVE that!

Time: Trust me when I say that you can make these pillows in about 15 minutes per pillow… after you’ve cut them out… maybe even faster if you time yourself!

I hope you’ll try this out… the worst thing that will happen???  You’ll have one very large zipper pouch for traveling!